Chapter 124: Chapter 124 Internal Affairs Inspection
“This…” Xu Qigang’s face revealed an unnatural expression. How could he, a grown man, explain this? Should he tell that he had hugged a girl from the General Union Dance Troupe during the evening gala, and incredibly, he dreamed of her that night when he went to sleep? And that he didn’t want to get involved with any other women, so even under his father’s threat of beating him to death, he had to refuse the marriage arranged by his family?
Considering how the young lady in front of him would react, and also his future reputation, Xu Qigang decided to keep his mouth shut.
“What do you mean ‘this’?” Sheng Ning guessed suspiciously, “You must have heard about my reputation back home, so you’re afraid to marry me, despising me.”
“What reputation do you have at home?” No matter how bad her reputation was, could it be worse than his family’s? Xu Qigang still remembered how eager the whole county was to send him off when he left.
Sheng Ning’s face turned slightly red, and suddenly she felt a loss of confidence. She even felt too inferior to say it out loud in front of him, which was certainly not her original intention; she had long stopped fearing slanderous talk.
“Uh… really bad. People speak so ill of me that no one dares to marry me.”
“That’s great!” Xu Qigang laughed happily. Her bad reputation meant no one else would fight him for her. It suited him since his reputation was also bad; he had been worried he might scare her off!
Sheng Ning’s expression immediately darkened, “What did you say?”
“It’s perfect that my reputation is also not good; we’re naturally a match,” Xu Qigang stated earnestly.
“So what are you saying now?” Sheng Ning was somewhat incredulous. Was he serious? Did he really want to marry her?
“Xiao Ning, I was wrong before. I will visit your family’s home to apologize to your father.”
“Let me think about it.” Now that it was time to make a final decision, she felt indecisive, her heart fluctuating.
She moved slightly, realizing only then that he had been holding her while they spoke, and now both of their faces felt hot.
Xu Qigang immediately let go of her, nodding at the delicate young lady in front of him. He had been scared to frighten her, especially since she was so much younger than him, ten years his junior.
He should pamper and protect her.
“I… I should go,” Sheng Ning said, her cheeks flush, as she turned and ran out. She ran into Xing Fang on the stairs, who greeted her eagerly, but she brushed her off quickly.
By the time she got back to the dormitory area, it was already dark, and she saw the courtyard brightly lit, filled with people.
“Over here!” Chen Huaying waved from the left side of the line; Sheng Ning smiled gratefully and quietly stood beside her.
“Internal inspection; all failed, so we are punished to stand,” Chen Huaying said nonchalantly, her bright black eyes curiously and suggestively gazing at Sheng Ning. Her face involuntarily blushed again, thankfully the darkness and dim courtyard lights hid it well.
“Our dorm couldn’t possibly have failed,” she insisted. Before she left, she had carefully checked everything; except for Qin Cuifen’s part, everyone else had met the standards.
Wait… Could it have been Cuifen? Known for loving the limelight and always wanting to save face, could she have dragged everyone down?
“Our dorm performed the worst,” Chen Huaying revelled in schadenfreude, completely unconcerned.
Wu Youli, standing right behind Chen Huaying in the back row, whispered upon hearing their conversation: “Don’t know who messed up, our dorm is a total mess; we don’t have anywhere to sleep tonight.” She had come back early, so she knew the situation in the room best.